Sir Milton Pentonville Allen

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(22 June 1888 – 17 September 1981) was the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (or Saint Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla) was a British colony in the West Indies from 1882 to 1983, consisting of the islands of Anguilla (until 1980), Nevis, and Saint Christopher (or Saint Kitts). From 188 ...

from 1969 to 1975. He was a native of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis con ...

, and was a journalist and politician before being appointed governor.

Early life

Allen was born in

Palmetto Point Palmetto Point is a town on the island of Saint Kitts in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the capital of Trinity Palmetto Point Parish Trinity Palmetto Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It ranks 6t ...

. The son of a stonemason, he served an apprenticeship to a tailor in

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitt ...

before deciding to emigrate to the United States. Settling in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, he became a leader of the West Indian community there, and organised financial support for the newly formed Saint Kitts Workers' League (a forerunner of the current Labour Party). After more than 25 years as a resident of the United States, Allen returned to Saint Kitts in 1935, becoming known as an editor of various labour movement publications.Government House Personalities
– Basseterre Past & Present. Retrieved 24 April 2016.

Politics

Allen was appointed to the Legislative Council of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla in 1958, but resigned in 1962 to allow Robert Bradshaw, a minister in the

West Indies Federation The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean tha ...

, to resume his position after the federation's dissolution. He returned to the council shortly after, and served for a period as a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...

before eventually being elected

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in June 1964, for his parliamentary service.

Governorship and later life

In 1969, following the resignation of Sir Fred Phillips, Allen was appointed acting governor of the Islands. He was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

in the

1972 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1972 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lo ...

, and later in the year received a permanent appointment as governor, becoming the first native of Saint Kitts to serve in the position. Allen continued to serve as governor until early 1975, when he retired and was replaced by

Probyn Inniss Sir Probyn Ellsworth Inniss MBE (18 November 1936 – 12 March 2017) was the Governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla from 1975 to 1980, and then, following the separation of Anguilla, the Governor of Saint Christopher and Nevis from 1980 to ...

. He died in September 1981, aged 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Milton 1888 births 1981 deaths Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriates in the United States Governors of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla People from Trinity Palmetto Point Parish Speakers of the National Assembly (Saint Kitts and Nevis)